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Despite Ulmo’s efforts to bless the soldiers’ ship with safe passage, the low tide, roiling waves, and offshore winds roll the ship about and deny their attempts to enter the safe docks of Dol Amroth.
The dark sea churns, waves building quickly in the evening breeze and sloshing about on the deck. The crew of Men run to and fro, making constant adjustments so the ship does not run aground. It is a constant struggle of balance and strength.
Their efforts are enough to save most of the ship, but a great wave sloshes over the deck, snapping the main mast and dragging someone into the water.
"Captain Boromir!" The panicked cry of the sailors rises above the din of the howling storm, a few sailors reaching over the edge in a futile attempt to try and save their friend.
Boromir twists midair so he dives into the water with grace and quickly takes the dirk strapped to his chest and starts to cut the rope tangled about his legs. He works his way through a few, but the knife slips over a groove and slices his leg just above his boot. He gasps from the pain as blood blossoms from his leg, and fear takes over as he realizes that he's doomed himself. He coughs and chokes, his movements slowing down even as he scrambles to reach the fading sky light, but his efforts are not nearly enough.
With a final weak reach to the surface, Boromir's eyes close and his body goes limp.
Ulmo takes pity on the man, cradling him in his palms and manipulating the calmer currents of the deeper water, moving water in and out of Boromir's lungs to give him some air.
As Ulmo keeps Boromir alive, making sure to continue to keep protecting the ship, he sees Boromir's striking beauty up close for the first time. Boromir looks as though he could be a Maia in the form of a Man, with his hair floating about his gorgeous face, a perfectly muscled body, and calloused palms that speak to years of hard labour.
Simply elegant. He will not die here.
Ulmo lets his magic flow through Boromir, spreading from his lungs to the tips of his body, filling him with the ocean’s essence.
His clothing disappears as rope unravels and wounds heal, revealing slits opening on the sides of his ribs and neck as his fingernails and teeth sharpen. Gills replace ears and sprout from his lower arms and upper back, growing down his spine and his merging legs. Shimmering scales coloured green-blue cover the skin of his lower half as they elongate into a mighty tail, the flowing fins shimmering purple at the ends.
The magic settles, and the ocean whispers to the new mer, welcoming Boromir to the world below the waves.
It takes a few more hours for the storm to pass, in which time no more losses occur. Just before the storm calms enough to allow the ship access to port, hesitance stirs in Ulmo’s heart. He knows that Boromir’s place in on land, with his people, but the sea-longing in the Elvish part of Boromir calls to Ulmo in equal measure as Denethor's heritage calls Boromir back to land and duty.
Reluctantly, Ulmo allows Boromir to transform back into a human that can still breathe water, and the magic returns his body and clothing to the state they were in before the transformation.
Ulmo urges the waves to gently deposit Boromir on the deck of his ship, a smile gracing his face when the concerned clamour turns into cheers when Boromir hacks up lungfuls of water and opens his eyes for a few shy moments.
The next day is a quiet celebration of thanks, offerings and prayers to Ulmo and the Maiar under his command are sent to sea, hopeful yet tinged with concern for the still sleeping Boromir. Ulmo accepts them all, sending the prayer boats back with shells laced with sea luck.
Ulmo watches the window to Boromir’s room with a keen eye, waiting for any sign of the new mer. It takes Boromir two days to wake up for long enough to stumble to the window with Faramir’s help. They look over the ocean and talk for hours until the evening breeze chills them enough to make them close the windows.
Dol Amroth celebrates once again for Boromir’s quick recovery, and Boromir makes a personal trip down to the beach the next afternoon to send out his own prayer boat.
Ulmo returns the boat with a brooch imbued with the oceans essence, meant to make his sea-longing bearable even when inland.
Boromir gathers the brooch and boat, and gives a polite bow before making his way back to the castle to prepare for his trip back to Minas Tirith. Deep down, they both know that this will be the last time Boromir visits Dol Amroth for years to come.